Conventional cable tv systems deliver video data from a distribution company through a cable to a number of monitors of viewers. Although nowadays many programs are distributed through many channels by each cable tv company, the user or viewer has to wait until the desired program is started and transmitted through a selected channel.
Recently, also interactive video systems have been proposed. In such interactive video system a viewer can chose a desired movie to be displayed on a monitor. In such video-on-demand system a direct connection to the monitor or end device of a user is established, whereafter a demanded movie can be viewed by the end user.
In this known system it is however virtually impossible to upscale the system after it has been established e.g. at a distribution company. When the number of members for such a system increases ad the number of demanded videos is increased, a new interactive video system has to be built.
The present invention provides system for serving information, comprising:
routing means;
one or more storage medium units connected to the routing means and for storing information data;
navigation means connected to the routing means and for providing information as to available information data and identification data thereof;
managing means connected to the routing means and for managing distribution of the information data, the managing means receiving selected identification data from an end device and outputting distribution control data, including information of a channel of selected information data as produced from the received selected identification data and routing information from the end device to the routing means,
wherein said storage medium unit outputs the selected information data with routing information for the end device according to the distribution control data from the managing means.
The system according to the present invention provides a navigation system for informing a user by means of a menu showing available information programs in an interactive video transmission system.
Preferably the routing means comprise at least one ATM switch.
Preferably the routing means comprise at least one ATM switch. The basics and standards of ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) are laid down in recommendations I.150 and I.327 as published in March 1993 by the International Telecommunication Union). ATM is generally used for addressing a specific packet-oriented transfer mode which uses asynchronous time division multiplexing techniques. The multiplexed information flow is organized into blocks of fixed size called cells. A cell consists of an information filed and a header. The primary role of the header is to identify cells belonging to the same virtual channel within the asynchronous time division multiplex.
Preferably said information data are video and/or audio data although the present invention is not limited to this application. This system according to the present invention may also comprise applications for video-games, library functions, databanks etc., although a first promising application filed relates to video-on-demand services.
Preferably said identification data comprise a public address so that the information service system according to the present invention can be connected to a public network.
Preferably the information service system according to the present invention provides for a change of information in different languages so that the application of the present invention is not limited to use in one country only.
Further the present invention provides for a video service system, comprising:
an ATM switch;
a storage medium unit connected to the routing means for storing video data;
navigation means connected to the routing means for providing an information of available video data and identification data thereof;
managing means connected to the ATM switch for managing distribution of the information data, the managing means receives a selected identification data from an end device and outputs a distribution control data including an information of a channel of a selected information data produced from the received selected identification data and a routing information of the end device to the ATM switch,
said storage medium unit outputs the selected information data with routing information for the end device according to the distribution control data from the managing means.